Palmeiras take on the visitors Chelsea in quarterfinal match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Saturday, July 5th at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA).
Palmeiras raised eyebrows when they handed the managerial role to a foreigner—even a Portuguese one like Abel Ferreira. But it was under him that the club achieved outstanding results by local standards, winning both Série A and the Copa Libertadores twice. However, in 2024 they fell short in the league race, losing out to Botafogo. This season has also been somewhat mixed: while they’ve been perfect in the Copa Libertadores group stage with six wins out of six, domestic results have lacked consistency. They lost to Corinthians in the state championship and have struggled to pull away from rivals in Série A. Still, they’ve managed to make their mark at the Club World Cup, reaching the quarterfinals. In regulation time, their only win came against Al Ahly. They drew 0-0 with Porto and battled back for a 2-2 draw with Inter Miami. In the round of 16, they edged past Botafogo thanks to a 100th-minute goal from Paulinho in extra time. Palmeiras have now gone six matches unbeaten, though three of those were draws, underlining a pragmatic but not dominant style of play.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Chelsea continue to underwhelm stylistically but get the job done. After their Champions League triumph, the Blues underwent an ownership change and suffered two difficult seasons, despite massive spending and multiple managerial changes. It wasn’t until Enzo Maresca arrived a year ago that the club finally turned a corner. Chelsea returned to the Premier League top four and even lifted the Europa Conference League—ironically, with contributions from second-string players like Mudryk before his suspension. Their performance at this Club World Cup has been mixed, yet largely positive. Yes, they suffered a flat loss to Flamengo, but they secured clean-sheet victories over Los Angeles FC and Espérance. In the round of 16, they let Benfica equalize with a last-minute penalty but responded with a dominant display in extra time, breaking through against Trubin and a depleted defense. It’s worth noting that Benfica played most of that extra time with ten men, which clearly tilted the balance. Chelsea have now won five of their last seven matches and are finding ways to win, even without consistently impressive football.
These two sides have met only once before—at the 2022 Club World Cup under the old format, when Chelsea won 2-1. Despite both teams having flaws, the Blues have the stronger squad on paper. Back Chelsea to win in regular time.
Prediction for the match: Chelsea to win.
